Recently I had the great opportunity of sitting down over lunch to chat with Joe Cross. You have likely heard of Joe before, seen him in one of his popular documentaries Fat Sick & Nearly Dead (1 and 2), or read his best selling book The Reboot With Joe Juice Diet.
Not only was I excited to meet Joe because he is such a huge advocate for healthy living and juicing but because he has a fantastic new book out called Reboot With Joe: Fully Charged: 7 Keys To Losing Weight, Staying Healthy and Thriving. I was curious to learn more about what inspired him to write the book.
One of the main problems Joe has noticed over the years through his own health struggles and through helping many others achieve their health goals is that dieting is not the answer. If we want to maintain our health long term we need to adopt a healthy lifestyle. The problem is that Joe noticed a lot of people struggled to maintain this new lifestyle over a long period of time. He was determined to get to the bottom of why this was happening and help people overcome this obstacle.
When writing this book Joe spoke to many people who faced these struggles, people who had overcome them, as well as doctors and other health professionals who focus on integrative medicine to determine what the biggest principles were that helped successful people maintain their healthy lifestyle and ultimately achieve long term success.
All of his insights and learnings have been broken down into 7 key principles which he shares with you in the book. These principles include:
1. Change Your Relationship to Food (Don’t Abuse Food)
2. Change Your Diet (Eat the Right Stuff)
3. Change Your Habits About Food (Find a New Groove)
4. Embrace Community (Get a Little Help From Your Friends)
5. Maintain the Machine (Follow the Upkeep Manual)
6. Practice Mindfulness (Chill Out)
7. Respect Yourself (Stop Beating Yourself Up)
I can remember sitting across the table from Joe as I slowly nibbled away at my salad thinking how excited I was to meet someone else in the health field who is talking about our relationship with food and how to maintain the health we want. This is such an important conversation!!
At one point Joe talked about how in the past he used to drink a lot of Coke. Fast forward to today and he hasn’t had a Coke in years. What he noticed, is that it’s not that he feels like he can’t have Coke because he’s not allowed to, he actually doesn’t want it anymore. He indicated that he is finally “at peace with Coca Cola. They just don’t get along.” I love this! Too often I hear people talk about not being able/allowed to eat something because they are on a diet. When we view food in this way it can be challenging because we will always feel deprived. It’s not just about using willpower to not eat something, it’s about actually changing our relationship to that food so we no longer want it.
What food in your life do you need to make peace with?
I too have personally seen so many people set health goals for themselves and then struggle to achieve or maintain them. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way. If you have ever wanted more for your health and had a hard time getting there, I highly recommend giving this book a read. I know you will find something juicy in here to help you on your journey.
I also want to give a special thanks to the amazing people at Breville. They helped to set up this meeting and have been kind enough to let me try out their juicer. This is the juicer that Joe uses in his movies and he spoke very highly of it so I thought I should give it a try 🙂 I must say…. I am loving it! I love how quickly it juices, how easy it is to clean, and the price point (very affordable). I will be doing a full review on the machine shortly so stay tuned for that. Until then, check out Joe’s new book and keep on juicing!
I would love to hear from you… Leave me a comment below letting me know what food in your life you need to make peace with. Is it Coke like it was for Joe or is it something else?
